


Baby Be the Class Clown, I Will Be the Beauty Queen in Tears

by TheStoryteller13



Series: AUgust Writing Challenge [2]
Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: AU-gust 2020, Alternate Universe - College/University, Banter, F/F, First Date, Not Beta Read, Slight enemies to lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:14:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25677178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheStoryteller13/pseuds/TheStoryteller13
Summary: “Okay, so she doesn’t really like me. But that doesn’t mean she will forever.” Lizzie is saying as she paces back and forth in her dorm room. Her sister is reading a book on her own bed, not really paying attention.“All I need to do is get her out of a school setting where she’s not so stressed out, and then I can show her that I’m fun and desirable!” Lizzie continues. She stops, “Are you even listening to me Josie?”“Uh-huh.” Josie says absently.
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson/Lizzie Saltzman
Series: AUgust Writing Challenge [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1859824
Comments: 2
Kudos: 60





	Baby Be the Class Clown, I Will Be the Beauty Queen in Tears

Hope’s hair is soft in Lizzie’s hands. Hope’s body is solid against hers. Lizzie’s left-hand travels down the curve of her body to rest at her waist and pull her closer. Hope’s soft lips are on her neck and Lizzie thinks she’s in absolute heaven. They lost most of their clothes at some point and now they’re pressed skin to skin, a soft blanket pressed to Lizzie’s back. They—

“Lizzie?” Professor Briggin’s voice cuts through Lizzie’s fantasy and she finds herself still staring at Hope, who sits across the room. 

“Huh?” Lizzie says, turning her attention to the white board and her teacher. 

“The answer?” Briggin prompts. 

“Oh, uh, right.” She looks behind her to the white board and makes a guess, “Seventy-five?” 

Briggin sighs and turns to the rest of the class. “Anyone else?” 

Lizzie sinks back in her chair and tries not to blush. She’s glad finals are tomorrow, and she will finally be able to not share a class with Hope. That girl has proved to be a detriment to her grades. 

“Thirty-seven.” Hope answers, drawing Lizzie’s attention back to the redhead. 

“Yes!” Briggin smiles, turning back to the board to write it down. Then she glances at the clock. “Alright. Since tomorrow will be your finals why don’t you all double up and do the review homework together?” 

Half the class groans. The other half looks relieved at not having to do yet another review sheet on their own on top of all their other final projects. 

Briggin nods, looking satisfied with that. “It’s a couple pages long, so doubling up will make it easier. Once you’ve partnered up you can leave.” 

The class erupts into conversation. Lizzie, being quite the socialite, has four people approach her immediately, but her eyes are on Hope, who puts her things in her bag as if she doesn’t realize no one’s asking to be her partner. Lizzie directs the four to double up among themselves, gathers her things, and makes her way over to Hope. 

“Hey.” She says, getting Hope’s attention. “Partners?” 

Hope looks up at her in confusion, then looks around the class to see if there is any other possibility. When she finds that everyone else has already partnered up, she sighs. 

“Yeah, sure. When’s your last class?” Hope asks, getting out her planner. 

“Three o’clock.” Lizzie smiles. 

“Great. We’ll meet in the library at four thirty?” Hope says, already writing the time and place down in pen. 

“Yeah, sounds great.” Lizzie says, trying not to let her nerves take over. “See you then.” 

Hope gives half a smile and then takes her things and leaves. 

#

Hope is already at the library when Lizzie gets there. She has a large coffee beside her and papers spread out on the table. 

“Hey.” Lizzie says happily. 

Hope fixes her with a hard stare. “Okay, let’s get one thing straight: I don’t particularly like you. I think you’re shallow and care more about popularity than anything else. So, we’ll do this review paper, but we’re not going to have a conversation or get to know each other or be friends after this, okay?” 

Lizzie blinks. She wasn’t prepared for that. She’s never prepared for someone to tell her point blank that they don’t like her. They usually keep that to whispers behind her back. All Lizzie can do is nod and fall a little bit more for Hope. 

True to what Hope said, they work on the review in mostly silence, and they don’t joke around. They finish within the hour and then Hope turns back to her other projects, leaving Lizzie to awkwardly leave the table. 

#

“Okay, so she doesn’t really like me. But that doesn’t mean she will forever.” Lizzie is saying as she paces back and forth in her dorm room. Her sister is reading a book on her own bed, not really paying attention.

“All I need to do is get her out of a school setting where she’s not so stressed out, and then I can show her that I’m fun and desirable!” Lizzie continues. She stops, “Are you even listening to me Josie?” 

“Uh-huh.” Josie says absently. 

“Josie!” Lizzie groans. 

“Yeah, yeah, get her to that Valentine’s dance thing. That “Bitter Ball”.” Josie says without looking up from her book. 

Lizzie’s eyes go wide. “Yes! That’s perfect!” She goes over and kisses her sister on the cheek before leaving the dorm. 

“Hey Raf.” Lizzie starts. 

“Hey Lizzie.” Rafael answers, sounding a bit confused as to why Lizzie is talking to him. They don’t run in the same circles, but he dated Josie briefly and that’s when he found his way into Lizzie’s orbit. They haven’t spoken in some time, though. 

“I heard you’re friends with Hope. Mikaelson.” Lizzie says. 

“Yeah, why?” He narrows his eyes but doesn’t look at her. 

“Would you, by any chance, know if she’s going to the Bitter Ball?” 

“Oh, nah. Hope’s not the type of girl to go to school events like that. Besides, isn’t that for people with broken hearts or something?” 

“Well, maybe, but is there any chance you could get her there?” Lizzie pushes. 

Raf shakes his head. “I don’t know. It’s hard to get Hope to go anywhere. And I also don’t trust your motives.” 

“Oh, come on, I’m totally trustworthy!” Lizzie argues. “Can you _please_ just get her there?” 

Raf is silent for a moment, and then shrugs. “Fine.” 

“Thanks Raf! You’re the best!” Lizzie says before walking off. 

#

Lizzie paces next to the punch table and scans the crowd for the third time. She pours herself some punch and tries not to get annoyed. She’s already baking up plans to get back at Raf for not keeping his word about getting Hope here. 

And then Hope walks in and Lizzie nearly spills her punch on herself. 

She enters at the top of the stairs in a flowing red dress that compliments all of her curves and Lizzie’s brain goes back to her many fantasies of having Hope in her arms and their lips connected. She’s trying to figure out a way to smoothly get Hope to dance, but Hope’s eyes find her and then she’s making a beeline over to the punch table. 

“Well?” Hope asks, “You wanted me here? I’m here. Want to tell me why?” 

Lizzie is not prepared for how forward she is. “I just wanted to dance. With you. At least once.” 

“Then let’s go.” Hope says, taking Lizzie’s hand and pulling her onto the dance floor. Lizzie thinks she might pass out. Hope’s hand is warm, and Lizzie can feel that it’s calloused, she wonders what Hope does in her life to make them so. It’s a sharp contrast to Lizzie’s soft hands. 

Hope puts her free hand on Lizzie’s shoulder blade, keeping her other clasped with Lizzie’s. Lizzie’s other hand falls to Hope’s bicep as they begin to sway back and forth. It’s silent for most of the song before one of them finally speaks.

“Why did you want to dance with me? After I was so mean to you, I mean.” A hint of nervousness betrays Hope’s otherwise stone-cold composure. 

“Because I think you’re pretty.” Lizzie winks. “And it’s going to take a bit more than mean words to make me think otherwise.” 

Hope blushes, and Lizzie smirks. She asks smugly, “Why did you come if you hate me so much?” 

“I don’t hate you.” Hope says instantly. 

“Well, you seemed to be in a hurry to get away from me before.” Lizzie says. 

“I don’t hate you.” Hope repeats. 

“You just don’t like me.” Lizzie finishes for her. 

“It’s not that. I was stressed out when I said it. It’s just that, I think you’ve lived an easy life. I think you’ve never had to work for anything.” Hope says. 

“You’re one to talk. From what I’ve heard about your dad, I don’t think you’ve had to work for much either.” Lizzie raises an eyebrow. 

Hope stops dancing and fixes her with a hard stare. “Don’t presume to know anything about me.” 

She extracts herself from Lizzie’s grasp and slips away. 

Lizzie groans. “Hope, wait.” 

She follows Hope out of the building. “I didn’t mean to make you mad.” 

Hope stops and turns back to her. “Yeah? Well, you did.” 

“I know. I’m sorry.” Lizzie says, “All I meant is that your family is wealthy.” 

“Yeah and that means I haven’t worked for anything?” Hope questions, narrowing her eyes. 

“Hey, you assumed things about me too.” Lizzie points out. 

Hope doesn’t have a retort for that. Instead she just crosses her arms. “Are we done here?” 

She doesn’t wait for Lizzie to respond; she just turns on her heel and leaves. Lizzie grits her teeth. She knew cracking Hope’s shell would be hard, but now she’s made things even harder. 

#

Hope avoids Lizzie for the rest of the school year. By the time summer rolls around, Lizzie feels discouraged, almost considering letting her crush fade. Hope will likely return to New Orleans to be with her family anyway, and next year it’s unlikely they’d share another class. And with Hope’s disdain for school activities, Lizzie doesn’t think she’ll share a club with her either. She sits at the Mystic Grill at sunset and prepares herself to grieve a relationship that never even got a chance to start. 

“Can I order a smoothie?” A familiar voice asks. 

Lizzie, startles, having zoned out. She looks up to see Hope standing at her table. “What?” 

Hope gestures to her uniform. “I’d like to order a smoothie.” 

“Right.” Lizzie says. It’s been such a slow day that she completely forgot she was working. She jots down Hope’s order and then brings it out to her. 

“So, you work here.” Hope says, like she’s trying to make conversation. 

“Yeah. We might not be poor, but my mom’s job alone isn’t enough to pay for both Josie and me to get through college.” Lizzie says. 

“And your father?” Hope doesn’t look at her. 

Lizzie sits down and narrows her eyes. “He died when we were young.” 

Now Hope looks at her, surprised. “Oh wow. I’m sorry.” 

Lizzie nods. “Why are you asking about my family?” 

“To prove you have one.” Hope says shyly. “And to see if you’d tell me about them.” 

Lizzie shakes her head in confusion but pushes it aside. “What about you? Aren’t you supposed to be in New Orleans?” 

“I was. But I decided to come down here to see Mystic Falls. My dad spent a lot of time here before I was born.” Hope says. 

Lizzie hums, and then starts to stand. 

“Wait.” Hope says. “I want to apologize.” 

Lizzie stops. She doesn’t turn back to Hope, but she does wait for her to continue. 

“I shouldn’t have said what I said at the ball and I shouldn’t have gotten so mad at you.” It sounds like the hardest thing Hope has ever had to do. 

Lizzie turns back around. “I’m sorry too. And your apology is accepted.” 

Hope bites her lip for a moment before saying, “So you wouldn’t mind giving me a second chance and going out with me tonight?” 

Lizzie smirks. “I get off at seven.” 

“Okay.” There’s a hint of a blush on her cheeks. 

“Enjoy your smoothie.” Lizzie says, then heads back inside, filled with a giddy energy. 

#

“This car is atrocious.” Hope says as she gets into the passenger seat of the blue car. 

“It was a gift from my aunt and her husband when I turned sixteen.” Lizzie offers an explanation, not really trying to defend herself. 

“Doesn’t mean it’s not atrocious.” Hope says. 

Lizzie just rolls her eyes and starts to drive. With the summer air, Lizzie rolls down the top of the car and lets the wind run through her hair. Hope looks around the town as they drive. Lizzie thinks she looks like a portrait— limned in the remaining light of the setting sun. 

“You know,” Hope starts, “I think this town of yours is rather charming.” 

“I like the way you talk.” Lizzie says. “‘Rather charming’.” 

“Are you making fun of me?” Hope asks with a smile. 

“Just a little bit.” Lizzie glances over to wink at her, then she turns back to the road. “But most people think this town is small and strange. Too many animal attacks for most people to want to stay for too long.” 

“I think it’s nice. Quiet. Not like the streets of New Orleans.” Hope tells her. 

“Not afraid of a few wolves?” Lizzie asks, the hint of a challenge in her tone. 

“Not one bit.” Hope responds. 

They drive for a while, and then eventually, Lizzie stops next to a lake. There’s a dock not too far away and when they get out of the car, Lizzie leads Hope to it so they can sit. Hope lays back and looks up at the sky from between the gaps in the trees. Hesitantly, Lizzie leans back too. 

“Do you think you’ll stay here when you graduate?” Hope asks. 

Lizzie shrugs. “Maybe. But I would like to travel a bit. Maybe I’ll go see this ‘New Orleans’ place that created you.” 

“It’s a beautiful city.” Hope says, bites her lip, then, “I could take you there. Maybe.”

Lizzie looks over at her, prompting Hope to turn her head as well. Lizzie says, “I thought you didn’t like me. Now you’re asking me out on dates and offering to take me to New Orleans?” 

“I just thought I should give you a fair chance before I make any judgements about you.” Hope says. 

Lizzie narrows her eyes. “Josie reached out to you, didn’t she?” 

Hope nods. “Josie talked to me.” 

“Oh, so you’re only going out with me because my sister told you to.” Lizzie half-jokes. 

“Well, not _just_ because she told me to. I wouldn’t say there’s _no_ attraction to you on my part. . .” Hope looks away. 

“You’re attracted to me?” Lizzie tries to hide her smile. 

“Maybe just a little bit.” 

“That’s why you came to the Bitter Ball.” Lizzie bumps her shoulder with her own. “You _like_ me.” 

“That has yet to be decided.” Hope rolls her eyes. 

Lizzie just smirks. “I almost failed that math class because of you.” 

“Really? I just thought you were bad at math.” There’s sarcasm in her voice and she turns her head back to look at Lizzie. 

“You caught me staring, didn’t you?” Lizzie blushes. 

“Oh, many times.” Hope laughs. 

Lizzie opens her mouth to speak but then she feels a drop of water on her face. Lizzie goes to wipe it away and then there’s a downpour. She yelps, standing, and Hope laughs again. In seconds it’s a full-blown storm. 

“We should go!” Hope yells over the wind that has picked up as she stands. 

They rush back to the car, but in the short time it’s been raining the dirt around the car has softened and sunk the tires in. Lizzie tries to back it up to get back on the road, but it doesn’t budge. 

“Come on.” She says, getting back out of the car. 

“Are we going to walk?” Hope asks, Lizzie can see her eyes thinking about how long of a walk it would be. 

“Just follow me.” Lizzie says. 

They run up the hill a bit, and then a large house comes into view. Lizzie glances over her shoulder to see Hope’s wide and intrigued eyes. There are no cars in the driveway and all the lights inside are dark. Lizzie digs around the front door until she finds the spare key, and then she unlocks and opens the door. 

“Is this place _yours_?” Hope asks as she looks around the large space. 

Lizzie knows that the boarding house is largely unchanged since she was a child. The same couches and decorations that she grew up with are in the same places.

“Remember that aunt I was telling you about? This is her husband’s place. His family owned this boarding house. But they’ve been travelling for a few years for her medical practice, so my mom has the key.” Lizzie explains. 

Hope nods, then makes her way to the fireplace dead ahead and works on getting it lit. 

“So, did I pass your first date check?” Lizzie wraps her arms around herself. 

Hope looks back at her over her shoulder. “Yeah, I think you did.” 

“So there could be a second date?” Lizzie implores. 

Hope nods. “I think that’s doable.” 

**Author's Note:**

> For those asking about my fantasy AU, yes I plan on continuing it. I also think I will continue this one, too, since I got an actual idea for it towards the end. <3


End file.
